President Trump Fires FBI Director Comey

MaeZe

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Good news:

Robert Mueller just appointed to oversee the Trump-Russia probe.

Robert Mueller appointed special counsel to oversee probe into Russia's interference in 2016 election

Rosenstein is either getting back for being used as a pawn or trying to reclaim his cred or both.

Good choice, Mueller, Comey and Ashcroft stood up to Bush in the wiretapping without a warrant scandal.

Ashcroft and Mueller also threatened to resign if the Bush administration didn't make changes to the eavesdropping program.

That scene where Bush and Gonzales tried to get Ashcroft to agree to warrantless wiretapping while Ashcroft was in intensive care is quite the story if any one is interested.



Addendum: now if we can get rid of Sessions, we have much less to be concerned about having Rosenstein take the DoJ helm.


I can't believe my post ended up 3rd. :tongue
 
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buz

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Good news:

...
...

I'm all...

I don't know how to take good news anymore?

*checks to see if spoon bends with my mind*

*bites reality to see if it's real*

Something...something right happened.

*is a bit shaky*

For real though--if any of you guys called, emailed, faxed, protested, went to a town hall, spread the word, any of that--thank you.
 
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MaeZe

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When it rains, the rats are flushed out of their holes.

[May 17, 2017 story] House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump
A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016 exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy’s assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy....

The exchange shows that the Republican leadership in the House privately discussed Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election and Trump’s relationship to Putin, but wanted to keep their concerns secret. It is difficult to tell from the recording the extent to which the remarks were meant to be taken literally.

And if you ever thought Ryan had any ethical standards, before he found out the WA Po had a recording he said:
When initially asked to comment on the exchange, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Ryan, said: “That never happened,” and Matt Sparks, a spokesman for McCarthy, said: “The idea that McCarthy would assert this is absurd and false.”
Had he been smarter he might have said there was some joking about it.


Transcript.

This will look especially bad for Ryan if evidence of payments to Trump are turned up:
McCarthy: There’s…there’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and
Trump…[laughter]…swear to God.

Ryan: This is an off the record…[laughter]…NO LEAKS…[laughter]…alright?!

[Laughter]

Ryan: This is how we know we’re a real family here.

Scalise: That’s how you know that we’re tight.

[Laughter]

Ryan: What’s said in the family stays in the family.
 
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Chrissy

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It's all about the money. Add former Exxon CEO Tillerson as Secretary of State and it's like preschool dot-to-dot fun.
 

ShaunHorton

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I can't help but wonder how deep the treason runs, and how many top members of the GOP we might be able to take down. If they actually had proof and knew that Trump was beholden to the Russians even before the election...

I wonder if we could just keep holding Trump's feet to the fire without actually ousting him, and see if we can get him to squeal on the GOP.
 

shakeysix

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He won't recover from this even if he does dodge the consequences. Every time I think of them chanting "lock her up" it makes my blood boil. I don't want him locked up or even impeached, but I do want him to know that he has ruined everything for himself through his own blind selfish stupidity. --s6
 

ShaunHorton

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I don't actually know how reputable this source is, but if this is true as sources on both sides of the aisle are claiming, this could be the bomb that blows Trump out of the water.

It’s now well established that Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey the day before he met with the Russians in the Oval Office and gave them classified information, setting off a firestorm of controversy. But now multiple reports point to Trump also having given the Russians something else during that meeting: the contents of James Comey’s computer.

Louise Mensch asserting that according to her own inside sources, a Trump ally did indeed copy the contents of Comey’s computer and gave it to the Russians.

But it’s worth noting that Trump made the bizarre decision to send Schiller of all people to deliver the termination notice, suggesting some sort of hijinks. And Trump certainly knew Comey was on the other side of the country at the time.
 

shakeysix

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Jesus Hoptoad Christ, say what? Palmer has a reputation for being way liberal so I am not buying into this one now, but it is almost as crazy leftie as the place my BIL found the jailing reporters Comey memo last night. That one turned up on the NYT today. I really don't want this to be true. They shoot traitors. --s6
 

cornflake

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Palmer has been wrong a bunch lately so I'm not buying it.

The recording though -- what in the ever loving fuck is wrong with Paul Ryan? For serious.

Disregarding the veracity of the comment for the moment. Ryan was in the room, knew the accusation was made, and told them to stop talking, as it was being recorded.

He does... nothing about this? He doesn't investigate it? He doesn't get the party to get Trump out of the race because this is going to come out, because IT'S ON TAPE YOU FOOL, he doesn't even, apparently, attempt to secure the tape? Just.. what?
 

MaeZe

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MaeZe

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....

The recording though -- what in the ever loving fuck is wrong with Paul Ryan? For serious.

Disregarding the veracity of the comment for the moment. Ryan was in the room, knew the accusation was made, and told them to stop talking, as it was being recorded.

He does... nothing about this? He doesn't investigate it? He doesn't get the party to get Trump out of the race because this is going to come out, because IT'S ON TAPE YOU FOOL, he doesn't even, apparently, attempt to secure the tape? Just.. what?
This, on the other hand, appears to be rather well documented and very disturbing.

There are also reports out now that Trump knew Flynn was under investigation before Trump appointed him.

Did Trump Know Flynn Was Under FBI Investigation When He Appointed Him?
According to The New York Times, the former national-security adviser informed the presidential transition on January 4 that his undisclosed lobbying for Turkey was under scrutiny.

The Trump administration installed Michael Flynn as the national-security adviser despite knowing the retired general was under FBI investigation for undisclosed lobbying on behalf of the Turkish government, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The paper cited two sources who said Flynn informed White House counsel Don McGahn on January 4 that the FBI was looking into his work for Turkey, for which he was paid more than $500,000 through a Netherlands company. The White House, buffeted by a string of scandals and the Wednesday announcement of a special counsel investigating the Trump campaign, did not immediately comment.

And in earlier interviews, Trump denied knowing anything about that.
 
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AW Admin

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IMO, this: sounds like bullshit, sorry.

It sounds like startlingly stupid bullshit. Because I'm pretty sure a bodyguard is going to know the login to the Director of the FBI's laptop.

And I'm equally sure that a bodyguard would be allowed by front desk staff to enter the "empty office" of the Director, which I'm sure was conveniently left open during his absence. And that he just happened to have the technical skills to properly image a secured computer. And the time. And that said computer has it's ports open accessible, because no one every worries about securing ports on computers or servers. We just let 'em be available to whomever. No key or dongle required. It's all public plug-and-play.

Yeah, that's bogus.
 

Alessandra Kelley

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I'm sorry, folks, I haven't had the heart to read political threads at all for months. I don't know if this has already been mentioned.

One of the "Aha caught you!" narratives Fox News has been pushing hard about Comey is that Comey broke the law and should lose his license because he did not immediately report to the DOJ that Trump pressured him to stop the investigation of Mike Flynn's ties to Russia back when it happened.

This law blog (which seems a remarkable breath of fresh, informed, expert air) dispels that piece of amateurish pseudolegal nonsense pretty thoroughly.

At the moment I'm finding that law blog as refreshing and helpful in the face of braying bullies ignorant of the law as the delightful climate change site Skeptical Science against braying bullies ignorant of science.
 
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Twick

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The story today on Ryan is horrific. How could someone who I presume believes himself to be a good American stoop to this? It's like a tape of Mafiosi - "this is family business, capice?"

Apparently selling out your country to a foreign power is acceptable if it means you can achieve your dream of taking public assistance away from the poor. Right now, I despise Ryan more than Trump. Trump's not the brightest light on the string, and is driven mostly by ego and insecurity. Ryan is showing more and more that he's pure evil.
 

Brightdreamer

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Apparently selling out your country to a foreign power is acceptable if it means you can achieve your dream of taking public assistance away from the poor. Right now, I despise Ryan more than Trump. Trump's not the brightest light on the string, and is driven mostly by ego and insecurity. Ryan is showing more and more that he's pure evil.

That's been my impression of the whole Republican party for a while, crystallized when they nominated this disaster. Whether he knows it or not (and I'm thinking not), 45 was chosen not to lead, but to distract, the clown in the center ring stealing the spotlight while the thieves and cutthroats work the audience. Not that there's not plenty to dislike about the man on his own, but 45 doesn't even appear to read what he's signing. Who's ultimately more culpable for the damage: the authors and instigators who have worked toward this regime for years, or the guy with little apparent awareness and/or long-term planning ability who likes scribbling his name on important-looking papers?
 

kneedeepinthedoomed

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What does that mean, though?

Like, in practical terms, if we don't have an investigation, then the same thing happens all over again, doesn't it? Gerrymandering, foreign manipulation, electoral college BS, etc? We lose elections to these people, still; they still have control over the narrative to their base and they still win. So if we the people transcend the need for an investigation, how do we actually, yanno, effect change that matters?

Take to the streets in your millions with torches and pitchforks.

Problem is, that's unlikely to ever happen. Have the USA ever had a real revolution, or even just a revolt?

Look at 1989 East Germany for inspiration, peaceful revolution. Get a couple million on the street regularly, every Monday, say, and shout "we are the people". That would scare them. It must be done regularly until something snaps; once is not enough. Repeat until success.

Apart from that? As long as Trump's party holds the majority in the house and senate, you can call your representatives all you want, it's doing nothing because they can't actually do anything. All you can hope for is some Republican senators coming around to your cause.
 

Roxxsmom

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Take to the streets in your millions with torches and pitchforks.

Problem is, that's unlikely to ever happen. Have the USA ever had a real revolution, or even just a revolt?

Aside from the US Civil war? I don't think so. There have been times with lots of protest, though, and it's influenced public policy (such as the Vietnam war). I think the overall lack of coups, widespread civil disorder, or revolutions is a testament to how much faith most of us, even those of a cynical bent, have in our political system and its checks and balances. But it might come to this if things get bad enough and it becomes increasingly apparent that they're no longer working as they should.

The best political system in the world can't hold up if one of the major parties involved is interested primarily in scorched earth.
 
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Catherine

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Re: Tapes of Paul Ryan

I disagree with the consensus on this. Keep in mind I do not like the president and despise most of the republican agenda.

It reads more like a sarcastic joke to me. Look at the circumstances. Wasn’t that about the time Trump was saying things like, “maybe Russia can find Hillary’s e-mails?” And, “How do we know it was Russia? Maybe it was a 300-pound guy in his bed in the basement.” {I am not trying to directly quote him. I’m trying to give the gist of the type of things Trump was saying at that time.} Considering this, someone making a joke about Trump being paid to say these things sounds about right. It sounds like he’s making fun of Trump when I read it. And Ryan sounds like he’s knows how this will look transcribed. Since they were laughing, he told them to stop in a joking way. At least I hope so.

There is plenty of real damning evidence though. It should be more than enough for the good people who talk about the sacred nature of the constitution to act. It’s hard to be patient while this fiasco unfolds.
 

Twick

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I don't think they were holding receipts from Putin to Trump in their hands. But they sounded like they knew something wasn't right. Otherwise, why would Ryan repeatedly say that this wasn't to go outside the room, that it was "family"?

I think Trump for the Republicans is a version of the broken stairstep metaphor for sexual predators in a group. You know it's broken, but you just tell everyone to avoid stepping on it. You don't take it out and put in a good one. Ryan is telling people "don't look too closely at Donnie's ties. Not sure what exactly they are, and I don't want to know. Just don't put your weight on that particular step."
 

MaeZe

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Even if it was a joke, do you wonder why none of the men in the discussion had even a whiff of curiosity about the payroll accusation? They had to know that Rohrabacher had been acting like a lobbyist for Putin. It wasn't a secret that Dana Rohrabacher has been one of the most pro-Russia politicians in Washington.
A new report reveals that a Republican congressman who was the butt of a joke about being a secret Russian agent by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was warned year earlier by the FBI that Russian spies were trying to recruit him.

In 2012, an FBI agent warned California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher that Russian spies were attempting to recruit him as an “agent of influence,” according to a report by The New York Times. The senior members of the House Intelligence Committee at that time were also present, including Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Democratic Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland (Rupperberger told The Times that he doesn’t remember an FBI agent being at the meeting, which he described as existing to remind “Dana that Russia is our adversary”).


From Nov, 2016: Putin’s favorite congressman
Dana Rohrabacher’s pro-Russia views made him an outcast. But in Trump’s Washington, he could fit right in.
This summer, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher used information he received directly from the Russian government to promote one of President Vladimir Putin’s top priorities: removing the name of the martyred Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky from a global anti-corruption law.

Multiple independent investigations blamed Russian officials for the death in jail of Magnitsky, a whistle-blowing attorney who allegedly uncovered evidence of a $230 million theft by officials of the Putin regime.

In 2012, Congress banned officials allegedly involved in the Magnitsky murder from visiting the U.S. and from using its banking system. Now, lawmakers want to expand the act to hold officials in other countries accountable for human-rights atrocities.

Putin, however, considers the Magnitsky Act an international outrage and terminated U.S. adoptions of Russian children in retaliation. A Putin associate implicated in the case has also unleashed a furious lobbying campaign against the new bill, seeking to remove the Magnitsky name.

One should consider this common knowledge in Congress and ask why Ryan made the joke he made and why wasn't he a bit curious about the accusation?
 

Twick

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Re: Tapes of Paul Ryan

I disagree with the consensus on this. Keep in mind I do not like the president and despise most of the republican agenda.

It reads more like a sarcastic joke to me. Look at the circumstances. Wasn’t that about the time Trump was saying things like, “maybe Russia can find Hillary’s e-mails?” And, “How do we know it was Russia? Maybe it was a 300-pound guy in his bed in the basement.” {I am not trying to directly quote him. I’m trying to give the gist of the type of things Trump was saying at that time.} Considering this, someone making a joke about Trump being paid to say these things sounds about right. It sounds like he’s making fun of Trump when I read it. And Ryan sounds like he’s knows how this will look transcribed. Since they were laughing, he told them to stop in a joking way. At least I hope so.

There is plenty of real damning evidence though. It should be more than enough for the good people who talk about the sacred nature of the constitution to act. It’s hard to be patient while this fiasco unfolds.

Looking back, I don't think Trump's suggestion that the Russians "find Hillary's e-mails" was a joke. I think his loose lip-filter failed as it does so often, and he let slip a request that he either had already made or was planning on making. After all, the Russians are nice people. They must be, they tell him so much that he's their best friend. Why shouldn't he ask them to help nail Crooked Hillary? That's in the interest of the American people, after all. He and his Russian friends have often said keeping her from being elected is for the good of the U.S.
 

ElaineA

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I read the latter part of the Ryan/McCarthy exchange as "boys club" joking around, too, but in that, "oh boy, if anyone gets wind of this we're screwed" kind of way.

What alarmed me far more about the conversation was the fact that they were all fully knowledgeable about how Russia went about the disinformation campaign, had seen it in action in Ukraine. Take a look at the transcript again, starting on page 3 where Rodgers says, "Yes! The propaganda...my biggest takeaway from that trip was just how sophisticated the propaganda." and ending on page 4 with Ryan saying "Russia is trying to turn Ukraine against itself." and then characterizes it as "Maniacal"

They knew FULL WELL what Russia was capable of, how it looked in action, and then dared to look into the camera at home and say, "It didn't happen here" when they knew it did.

Fools, liars, and thieves, the lot of them.